How Does My Dad Transfer $15,000 of His GI Bill Benefits to Me?

Q: My father is a Command Master Chief in the Navy at the moment and I am a senior in High School ready to attend college. He is still on active duty and has $30,000 left on his GI Bill. He wants me to have $15,000 and then other half will go to my younger brother if he decides to attend college. Is there a way for that to transfer to me?

A: Not in its present form. Being you are referencing your father’s GI Bill in dollars remaining, it is telling me he has the Montgomery GI Bill. Unfortunately that one does not have a dependent transfer option. However don’t fret – he still has an ace in the hole.

You father could switch over to the Post 9/11 GI Bill. That one does have a dependent transfer option. All he has to do is go to the milConnect website and follow the Transfer of Benefits section.

However the benefits he has remaining will show up as months/days instead of a dollar amount. He can divide up his remaining benefit between you and your brother how ever he likes. And he can move around the benefits he gives both of you ( even after retiring from the military) if one of you ends up needing more benefits than the other.

Once his application for transfer is approved, then you (and your brother once he is ready to start school) have to go to the eBenefits website and submit VA Form 22-1990e. In return you’ll get a Certificate of Eligibility. You need a copy of that certificate with you when you register for school as a GI Bill student.

Just a word of caution – you father will have to extend his enlistment so that he has at least four years of service left, if he does not have at least that amount of time left at the time of his transfer request.